Mandy (2018 film)

Mandy
File:Mandy (2018 film).png Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Panos Cosmatos
Produced by	Daniel Noah Josh C. Waller Elijah Wood Adrian Politowski Martin Metz Nate Bolotin
Screenplay by	Panos Cosmatos Aaron Stewart-Ahn
Story by	Panos Cosmatos
Starring	Nicolas Cage Andrea Riseborough Linus Roache Ned Dennehy Olwen Fouéré Richard Brake Bill Duke
Music by	Jóhann Jóhannsson
Cinematography	Benjamin Loeb
Edited by	Brett W. Bachman
Production company	SpectreVision Umedia XYZ Films
Distributed by	RLJE Films
Release dates	January 19, 2018 (2018-01-19) (Sundance) September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14) (United States)
Running time	121 minutes
Country	Belgium United States
Language	English
Budget	$6 million
Box office	$1.7 million

Mandy is a 2018 action horror film directed by Panos Cosmatos, produced by Elijah Wood and co-written by Cosmatos and Aaron Stewart-Ahn based on a story Cosmatos conceived. A co-production of the United States and Belgium, the film stars Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Ned Dennehy, Olwen Fouéré, Richard Brake, and Bill Duke.

It premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, and was theatrically released on September 14, 2018 by RLJE Films.

Mandy was praised for its style and originality, Cage's performance, Cosmatos' direction, and the action sequences. It is one of the last films scored by Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, who died in February 2018. The film is dedicated to him.

Plot

In 1983, somewhere near the Shadow Mountains, Red Miller leads a quiet and solitary life with his girlfriend, artist and author Mandy Bloom. He works as a logger, while she has a day job as a gas station cashier. In their cabin by a lake, Mandy creates elaborate fantasy art, which Red admires greatly. Their conversations hint at a complicated past and psychological hardship. Red appears to be a recovering alcoholic and possibly a veteran, while Mandy recounts traumatic childhood experiences.

On her way to work, Mandy walks past a van carrying the Children of the New Dawn, a deviant religious cult led by the egomaniacal and vile Jeremiah Sand. Sand is struck by Mandy's beauty and orders one of his disciples, Brother Swan, to kidnap Mandy with the help of the Black Skulls, a demonic biker gang with a taste for human flesh and a highly potent liquid form of LSD.

At night, Swan drives out to the lake and summons the Black Skulls by blowing a mystical ocarina carved from lava stone which Sand calls the Horn of Abraxas. After Swan offers them a low-ranking member of the cult as a sacrifice, they break into the couple's home and subdue Mandy and Red. The two female members of the cult, Mother Marlene and Sister Lucy, drug Mandy with LSD and venom from a giant black wasp before presenting her to Sand. Sand, a failed musician, attempts to seduce Mandy with his psychedelic folk music, telling her that God had told him to take anything he wanted. Mandy laughs at Sand, infuriating him. Seeking revenge, he stabs Red, who is tied and gagged with barbed wire, then burns Mandy alive in front of him. After nothing but ash remains, Sand and his followers leave. Red frees himself, mourns over Mandy's ashes, goes back inside, and falls asleep, exhausted and in shock. After waking up from a nightmare, he consumes a bottle of vodka, tends to his wounds, and shrieks in agony, grief, and rage.

In the morning, Red fetches "the reaper", his crossbow, from his friend Caruthers. Caruthers provides him with freshly crafted bolts and information on the Black Skulls. According to Caruthers, the Black Skulls were drug couriers who turned sadomasochistic after they consumed a bad batch of LSD. Before Red leaves, Caruthers warns him that his odds of survival are poor. Red forges a battle axe and hunts down the bikers. He shoots one with his crossbow and attempts to run him down but is captured in the process. At their hideout, Red breaks free and kills the bikers in a bloody battle. Searching their hideout, he consumes some of their cocaine and tainted LSD, causing him to instantly and severely hallucinate.

Seeking out a radio tower he envisioned earlier, Red encounters The Chemist, a mysterious drug manufacturer, who tells him where to find the Children of the New Dawn. At their makeshift wooden church in a quarry, Red kills Brothers Swan and Hanker with his axe and kills Brother Klopek in a chainsaw duel, sparing only the life of Sister Lucy. In the tunnels beneath the church, Red finds Mother Marlene and decapitates her. He then finds Sand, taunting him by throwing Marlene's severed head at him. Sand begs for mercy, but Red crushes his skull. He sets Sand's body and the church on fire before driving away. As Red heads towards an unknown fate, he starts envisioning Mandy in the passenger seat of his car, while the landscape behind him now appears fantastical and otherworldly.

Cast

• Nicolas Cage as Red Miller
• Andrea Riseborough as Mandy Bloom
• Linus Roache as Jeremiah Sand
• Bill Duke as Caruthers
• Richard Brake as The Chemist
• Ned Dennehy as Brother Swan
• Olwen Fouéré as Mother Marlene
• Hayley Saywell as Sis
• Line Pillet as Sister Lucy
• Clément Baronnet as Brother Klopek
• Alexis Julemont as Brother Hanker
• Stephan Fraser as Brother Lewis
• Ivailo Dimitrov as Skratch
• Kalin Kerin as Scabs
• Tamás Hagyuó as Fuck Pig
• Paul Painter as Cheddar Goblin

Production

On June 7, 2017, Nicolas Cage was announced as the star of the film. Production used the Arri Alexa camera, coupled with the Panavision anamorphic format, to achieve the film's old-school atmosphere.

Legion M, an entertainment studio that allows fans to invest in and be part of the creation of films, was a production partner for Mandy and hosted a panel discussion featuring director Panos Cosmatos and others at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. Cage made a surprise appearance at the event.

The weapon forged by Red was based on the “F” from the logo for extreme metal band Celtic Frost.

The song "Starless" by the English progressive rock band King Crimson plays over the opening credits. It is taken from their 1974 album Red, which is also the name of Cage's character.

Release

The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on January 19. It began a limited cinematic release on September 13, 2018, playing at a maximum of 250 theatres, and was released on VOD on September 14.

Reception

Critical response

According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, of critics have given the film a positive review based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads, "Mandy's gonzo violence is fueled by a gripping performance by Nicolas Cage—and anchored with palpable emotion conveyed between his volcanic outbursts." At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Reviewing the film after its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com praised it, writing that "for all of the endless feral performances that Cage has given, in movies good, bad and forgettable, Cosmatos’ style-driven, ‘80s-tastic passion for weird worlds and characters takes full advantage of Cage’s greatness, and then some."

In a five-star review for Dirty Movies, Stephen Lee Naish called the film "a blood soaked revenge caper," praising Cosmatos for a "masterful approach" that "aligns him with Kubrick and Lynch in delivering perfectly believable and fully realized worlds and characters that operate within their own laws of physics." Meanwhile, film critic Christopher Stewardson said the film "is sure to become a cult favourite all of its own." In December 2018, Esquire named Mandy the top film in its 25 Best Movies of 2018 So Far.

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipients	Result	Ref.
Austin Film Critics Association Awards	January 7, 2019	Best Score	Jóhann Jóhannsson	Won
		Best Stunts	Mandy	Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	December 8, 2018	Best Original Score	Jóhann Jóhannsson	Nominated
Detroit Film Critics Society Awards	December 3, 2018	Best Use of Music	Jóhann Jóhannsson	Nominated
Dublin Film Critics' Circle Awards	December 20, 2018	Best Cinematography	Benjamin Loeb	5th place
		Best Film	Mandy	10th place
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards	February 25, 2019	Best Actor	Nicolas Cage	Won
		Best Director	Panos Cosmatos	Nominated
		Best Limited Release	Mandy	Won
		Best Makeup FX	Oriane de Neve	Nominated
		Best Score	Jóhann Jóhannsson	Won
		Best Supporting Actor	Linus Roache	Nominated
Hollywood Music in Media Awards	November 14, 2018	Best Original Score — Independent Film	Jóhann Jóhannsson	Nominated
Houston Film Critics Society Awards	January 3, 2019	Best Poster	Mandy	Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards	February 23, 2019	Best Cinematography	Benjamin Loeb	Nominated
Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival	July 16, 2018	Narcisse Award for Best Feature Film	Mandy	Nominated
Saturn Awards	September 13, 2019	Best Actor	Nicolas Cage	Nominated
		Best Independent Film	Mandy	Won
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards	December 17, 2018	Best Original Score	Jóhann Jóhannsson	Won
Sitges Film Festival	October 15, 2018	Best Director	Panos Cosmatos	Won

External links

• Mandy at IMDb
• Mandy at AllMovie